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PHY201
Your 'initial timing experiment' report has been received. Scroll down through the document to see any comments I might have inserted, and my final comment at the end.
** Initial Timing Experiment_labelMessages **
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Take reasonable care to get good data in this experiment. Try to do the timing as accurately as possible. Measurements of length, height, etc. should be reasonably accurate (e.g., with a meter stick or ruler you can measure to withing +- 1 millimeter, but it's not necessary to try to determine fractions of a millimeter).
In this experiment you will use the TIMER program, a hardcover book, the toy car that came in your lab materials package (or, if you do not yet have the package, a cylinder or some other object that will roll along the book in a relatively straight line), and a ruler or the equivalent (if you don't have one, note the Rulers link, which is also given on the Assignments page).
• The book's cover should be straight and unbent.
• The toy car (or other object) should roll fairly smoothly.
Place the book on a flat level tabletop. You will prop one end of the book up a little bit, so that when it is released the object will roll without your assistance, gradually speeding up, from the propped-up end to the lower end. However don't prop the end up too much. It should take at least two seconds for the ball to roll down the length of the book when it is released from rest. For a typical book, a stack of two or three quarters placed under one end works well.
• Using the TIMER program determine how long it takes the ball to roll from one end of the ramp to the other, when released from rest. Once you've got the book set up, it takes only a few seconds to do a timing, so it won't take you long to time the object's motion at least three times.
• Determine how far the object travels as it rolls from its initial position (where you first click the timer) to its final position (where you click at the end of the interval). This will probably be a bit less than the length of the book, due to the length of the object itself.
• Determine how much higher one end of you used to support one end) to the end of the book which rests on the table. the book was than the other, and how far it is from the supports (e.g., the stack of quarters, or whatever
Then reverse the direction of the book on the tabletop, rotating the book an its supports (e.g., the stack of quarters) 180 degrees so that the ball will roll in exactly the opposite direction. Repeat your measurements.
In the box below describe your setup, being as specific as possible about the book used (title, ISBN) and the object being used (e.g., a can of vegetables (full or empty; should be specified) or a jar (again full or empty); anything round and smooth that will upon release roll fairly slowly down the incline), and what you used to prop the object up (be as specific as possible). Also describe how well the object rolled--did it roll smoothly, did it speed up and slow down, did it roll in a straight line or did its direction change somewhat?
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
The incline set up was made of domino, a flat piece of plywood found in my lab kit. The plywood was mounted on the edge of the book creating an incline. The height of the domino was .5inces The length of the plywood (incline) is 11.4inches long. The object used is a toy car found in the lab kit.
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In the space indicated below report your data. State exactly what was measured, how it was measured, how accurately you believe it was measured and of course what the measurements were. Try to organize your report so the reader can easily scan your data and identify any patterns or trends.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
# of times done Length of incline (inches) time taken each time
1 11.4 4
2 11.4 4.222656
3 11.4 3.644531
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Using your data determine how fast the object was moving, on the average, as it rolled down the incline. Estimate how accurately you believe you were able to determine the object's average speed, and give the best reasons you can for your estimate of the accuracy.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
The average time taken for the car to roll down the incline was 3.95573 seconds,
The length of the incline was 11.5inces
Average speed = Distance traveled / time taken
Therefore the calculated average speed of the car = 11.4inces /3.95573sec= 2.8819 inches / sec.
I think the calculation is pretty accurate. Reason being that the two quantities used to calculate the speed is very accurate. The distance is a set measurement, the degree of inaccuracy would be in the time recorded and using the timer to get an average over 3 times with and accuracy over 1000th of a sec is very good.
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How fast was the object moving at the beginning of the timed interval?
At the beginning of the time, if that means when to object was at rest, it wasn't moving at all. I think maybe I am not interpreting this question very well.
Well if the question is referring to the 1st reading, the average speed was 11.4inches / 4secs which is 2.85 inches / sec
According to your previous calculation, what was its average speed during this interval? the average speed was 11.4inches / 4secs which is 2.85 inches / sec
Do you think the object, when it reached the lower end of the book, was moving at a speed greater or less than the average speed you calculated?
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
How fast was the object moving at the beginning of the timed interval?
At the beginning of the time, if that means when to object was at rest, it wasn't moving at all. I think maybe I am not interpreting this question very well.
Well if the question is referring to the 1st reading, the average speed was 11.4inches / 4secs which is 2.85 inches / sec
According to your previous calculation, what was its average speed during this interval? the average speed was 11.4inches / 4secs which is 2.85 inches / sec
Do you think the object, when it reached the lower end of the book, was moving at a speed greater or less than the average speed you calculated?
According to my observations, the car was moving at a faster speed towards the end of the incline, the car starts of slow at first ad then develops momentum towards the end of the incline.
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List the following in order, from least to greatest. Indicate 'ties': The object's initial speed, its final speed, its average speed, and the change in its speed as it rolled from one end of the book to the other.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
The initial speed, the average speed and the final speed. According to my observations, the cars starts out slow then builds momentum then towards the end of the slop starts going much faster. This shows that the final speed is the fastest, then average speed then the initial start will be the slowest.
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Devise and conduct an experiment to determine whether or not the object is speeding up as it rolls down the incline. If you have set the experiment up as indicated, it should seem pretty obvious that the object is in fact speeding up. But figure out a way to use actual measurements to support your belief.
Explain how you designed and conducted your experiment, give your data and explain how your data support your conclusions.
your brief discussion/description/explanation:
I would use the same setup that I have now. I have marked with a pen half way down the incline. Then I started the car rolling down the incline, stopped and started the timer when the car gets to the marked spot on the incline. I repeated this exercise 5 times to get an accurate average time.
Then i computed a table to the speed of the car for rest to half way down the incline, then again from half way don the incline back to rest.
The data looked like this
# of time done 1st length Time Ave Speed 2nd length Time Ave Speed
1 5.7 3.558594 1.601 5.7 3.363281 1.694
2 5.7 3.925554 1.452 5.7 3.436366 1.658
3 5.7 1.559 3.655885 5.7 3.255689 1.751
4 5.7 1.595 3.678585 5.7 3.365896 1.635
5 5.7 1.588 3.589699 5.7 3.369969 1.691
From the experiment conducted, the fist half of the incline the average speed of the car is 1.559 inches / sec.
The average speed of the car for the second half of the incline in 1.685 /inches / sec. This shows that the car was going faster towards the on of the incline.
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Your instructor is trying to gauge the typical time spent by students on these experiments. Please answer the following question as accurately as you can, understanding that your answer will be used only for the stated purpose and has no bearing on your grades:
Approximately how long did it take you to complete this experiment?
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&#Very good responses. Let me know if you have questions. &#